Celebrating Comrades Peak Training

No, I’ve not won a race or ran a PB. I survived the Comrades peak training months (March and April).

I have one goal race this year and it’s the 90th edition of the Comrades Marathon. I consider all other races training runs to prepare for my massive desert shuffle in April 2016. My goal is to run a sub-11hr Comrades and based on how training is progressing and how I am feeling right now….I believe I am on track!

We are in the final stretch of peak training and I can honestly say I’ve never worked this hard on anything in my entire life! A quick glance at my training log and I can’t help but smile and be proud of the 1040km I’ve ran in 4 months.

Rocking in the colors of Starfish Charity at SlowMag 50K

Getting to this point uninjured and still feeling fairly healthy is a milestone itself!

So…I am doing a happy dance and celebrating! 🙂

Runners World’s CRO, Bart Yasso is baffled by the fact that Comrades is the only race in the world where you train just to get to the Starting Line! Take a look at his Comrades Marathon experience in the video below…it really is the greatest ultramarathon in the world!

Focus

Running this many kilometers in training doesn’t just happen. It requires absolutely focus and commitment. It helps to have a goal that scares you enough to get up every morning without fail to train. Committing to a quality structured training programme to achieve that goal is…priceless! When I started running in 2011 I did a lot of research, probably read every running blog looking for information and practical advice. I now have a running coach and don’t waste time worrying whether I am on the right track or figuring out which workout is the right one. I focus on my training and I’m always excited to see what’s planned for the week so that I can mentally prepare for my runs. I literally don’t think…I just do!

Peak Training

The highlight of my Comrades peak training was without a doubt running the EASTER 100….my first mini multi-stage race with a total of 107 kms for that week. That was the most mileage I’ve ever done in a week! I loved running the EASTER 100; must be the fact that EASTER 100 was not an official race but a Comrades training run. It was like a mini Comrades…everyone suffering together for 3 hilly days. Actually, those hills had a total elevation of 1800m over the 3 days! That’s almost equivalent to climbing Table Mountain 🙂

I ate those hills for breakfast!

I am very excited with where I am in my training – definitely getting stronger and faster. I can feel it!

I will be closing out April with a total of 290km (March was 270km) and I’ve reached the 1000km mark for the year but the excitement of knowing I am doing something I’ve never done before is getting to me! I’ve been on runner’s high this whole time and it was only last week that I went through a bit of a low. I felt mentally tired, stressed, paranoid and convinced a hamstring injury was looming and that I was going to get sick…which would be disastrous at this stage! I felt like I’ve reached my “limit” and was more than happy to take a few days off….to clear my head! I guess this is where we say Less is More.

Keep Going

I still have my challenges with feet and legs going numb when I try to up the pace, so for now I am OK with not being as fast as I would like to be, drawing comfort from the fact that Comrades is not a sprint! Other than that my legs are feeling unbelievably good and those few rest days have left me energised and ready to take on the last few weeks of (not so hard) … The Comrades Marathon Taper! (hehehe…who am I kidding!)

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About Moerieda Mackay

Late to running and absolutely loving it! I'm married to my soulmate, Adam and blessed with 3 beautiful children. I am a Business Transformation and Innovation Professional and holds a MSc (Eng) in Industrial Engineering. Yip, a bit of a workaholic. I became addicted to ultra running whilst searching for that elusive “work-life” balance at the age of...40! I have no sporting background and with zero athletic ability running is by far the most challenging thing I've taken on but it has put me on a path of self discovery and serious transformation both physically, mentally and spiritually...and I love it!